


April Fools’

by MiraEdge



Series: Space Fools [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Bonding, April Fools' Day, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Party Games, Pining, alien drugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 10:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14422989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraEdge/pseuds/MiraEdge
Summary: Lance confesses, but of course, nothing goes how he had planned.





	April Fools’

Lance had prepared for this for months. Tomorrow he would definitely do it. It was about the damn time. But every day when he tried to approach Keith's room, he chickened out, going back with his heart racing in his chest. He kept thinking about the consequences: what if Keith didn't feel the same? What if it got awkward between them? The whole team would notice and feel sorry for him, rejected by a guy he had to live in close quarters with.

 

Shit, it would feel miserable.

 

But this time he was ready to do it. He thought he had a chance this time.

He had noticed Keith looking at him a couple of times, even when he wasn't doing anything stupid. When they were practicing with the sword in the training room, for instance. Lance always found himself sweating a lot, not used to the weight of the alien metal. Pidge said it was gross that he used his own shirt to dry off his face. But, hey, he was the one who had to do his own laundry, so it was definitely better than having to wash one more thing. He was lazy, okay?

But that's not the point.

After a couple of drills, he found Keith staring at him from across the room and immediately turning away with a frown when their eyes met.

 

That was a sign™.

 

Another was when Keith started to laugh at his jokes. Lance felt like that started happening out of the blue, but if he thought about it, Keith hadn't answered with an insult in a long time. Maybe things were really progressing.

Only thinking about the signs™ made the butterflies in his stomach go wild.

Now he was standing in front of Keith's room, with the crumpled letter he had prepared months ago in his hand.

 

Lance swallowed. It was time.

He slipped the letter under Keith's door and he ran away.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey, Lance. That was funny. You almost got me." Keith's words when Lance first walked into the dining room made him freeze.

It had taken a lot of mental encouragement to step out of his room. He had expected anything, but definitely not this.

"Excuse me?" His voice was weak and a whole lot unsure.

 

"Yeah, your letter. For a moment it definitely worked. But then I saw the date," Keith grinned. "Next time, man."

 

Lance didn't know what to think about this answer. Keith read the letter in which he put all his heart and soul and thought it was a joke? "What... What date?" He did his best to keep his voice from trembling.

 

"April 1st. April Fools' Day. Lance, are you still asleep? You love this holiday." Hunk's hand was on his shoulder, while he offered him a cookie.

 

He felt his heart break to pieces. Who in the world would be so stupid to confess their feelings on the international prank day? Of course, Lance would because he was so caught up with getting the courage to do it that when he finally found it he didn't care when it was.

"Yeah, right," he forced a laugh. "Thanks, Hunk. I was trying to make him fall for it, duh? He would believe it if I forgot what day it was." It was so hard to keep his composure and not show on the outside the shock and despair he was feeling.

 

"That would be impossible for you, but yeah, I would have believed it," Keith confirmed, shrugging.

 

At every word from Keith he felt his heart sink further and further down. "Well, I guess I failed. Can I have it back? I want Pidge to read it, it was a perfect prank." More than that, he wanted to burn it and cry on its ashes.

 

"Uh... I'm sorry, I... I've already thrown it away," Keith offered an apologetic smile and Lance nodded.

 

"Okay, whatever," he said, looking away so that no one would notice that the fact that Keith had basically put his feelings in the trash was pretty hard to swallow. "I'll go tell her anyway."

And he left the room as fast as he could. He literally ran to Pidge's room and entered without even knocking.

"Pidge, I fucked up!"

 

"‘Morning, Lance," she said, without looking away from the screen they were working on. "I see you brought me a cookie, thanks."

How they could see that was a mystery, but Lance gave it to them without protest. He wasn't hungry at all.

 

"I fucked up so bad," he sighed, collapsing on the couch. "Promise you won't laugh at me?"

 

"No, but tell anyway."

 

Lance took a deep breath. He had never said anything about this to anyone, not even to Hunk. "I... I have feelings for Keith."

 

"Figured. So?" Pidge didn't even look away from the screen, keeping on typing away.

 

Lance let out a breathy laugh. "Is it so obvious?"

 

"Nah, I'm just good at noticing the clues."

 

"Well, I like him. A lot. And today I confessed to him." Lance started drawing a pattern on the floor with his finger, letting his arm hanging out of the couch.

 

"You what?!" Now he had Pidge's full attention. "Oh my... What did he say?"

 

Lance shook his head. "Look at the date."

 

It took just a moment for Pidge to look briefly at the screen and understand what happened. "Oh, man." They started to laugh out loud and when they finally calmed down they wiped away the tears in their eyes. "Sorry, please continue."

 

The blue paladin grimaced and sat straight on the couch. "I put a letter under his door with all the things I thought about him in it. And he thought it was a joke. He threw it away, Pidge! He threw it away!"

 

"Boy, this will be so fun," Pidge chuckled. "Well, now you have to make him understand you were serious."

 

"How?" That came out like a desperate moan.

 

"You know full well how to flirt, loverboy, don't ask me. Now go, I have stuff to do. But I still want you to keep me updated on the situation."

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flirting with Keith, that was a joke. The guy was fucking oblivious.

When he threw himself on the couch with an arm around his shoulders, Keith thought he was messing with him and pushed him away with a curse.

When he offered to feed him at lunch he got punched in the gut.

When he started to compliment him, Keith rolled his eyes and put headphones in his ears.

It was like flirting with a stone wall.

 

But for the others, it was noticeable enough.

"Dude. Why are you flirting with Keith? I thought the prank was over!" Hunk's tone was hushed and genuinely worried.

 

"It's not a prank. I really did forgot what day it was." Lance confessed after dragging Hunk in the kitchen. Keith never came here. It was a safe zone.

Hunk's eyes became wide as saucers and he kept repeating "dude" for a couple of minutes, each one different from the previous for intensity and intonation.

 

"Okay, we got it. I was incredibly stupid." Lance sighed for the hundredth time today.

 

"Dude! You like Keith!" Lance had to cover Hunk's mouth with his hand, to shush the screeching.

 

"Yeah and I messed up royally. And he doesn't even notice I'm flirting with him."

 

"No, I think he noticed. But he thinks it's still a prank. Maybe you should wait until tomorrow."

 

"I can't! Do you know for how long I've been trying to confess?! I have to tell him today or I will not tell him at all! You know me, I've been chickening out for months. It would be impossible for me to find the courage again." Lance laid his head on the counter, feeling defeated.

 

Hunk put his hand on Lance's shoulder and that was something that made him immediately feel soothed. "Okay, buddy. I get it. I will help you."

With a hug, their pact was signed and the longest day of Lance's life officially started.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His first attempt was in the training room that afternoon.

Shiro had instructed them to train however they wanted to warm up and Lance had picked up the sword. Keith was on the other side of the room, already practicing, slashing the air with a sword of his own as if he was cutting down enemies. He looked so good, serious and focused, with a little frown that was always present when he was training.

Lance felt suddenly very nervous. He looked at Hunk, who gave him thumbs up in encouragement. Lance swallowed: he could handle this.

 

"Keith?" he called when he got close enough. "Can I... Can I ask you something?"

 

The red paladin interrupted his movements to look at him, a little wary after how the morning went. "I guess."

 

"Uhm... I have some trouble with my stance. Allura sent me flying with a kick in the ankle," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "So, I was wondering... Since you are ‘more expert', maybe I could ask you to help me?" He made air quotes with his fingers at that: Keith was still his rival, even if he had a huge crush on him. He couldn't just give him that title without mocking him in the meanwhile.

 

Keith smirked and that made Lance's chest tighten a little. Maybe all this mess was still salvageable. "Oh well, since I am an expert at this... Come on, show me your stance."

 

Lance smiled and placed himself in front of Keith, his feet apart and the sword in his hands. Keith walked around him and Lance felt the embarrassment of being scrutinized.

"Bend your knees," Keith said. "You are too stiff. Relax your shoulders. You have to feel as if the sword is an extension of your body."

Lance tried to do as Keith said, but other than bending his knees a little, he wasn't able to relax at all.

"No, you don't get it." Keith lost his patience immediately. He wasn't called a hot head for nothing.

Lance's mouth became dry instantly when Keith stepped right behind him. His arms went right over his own as if he was hugging him from behind. "Like this, see? Softer. You have to be able to receive the other's sword without breaking something."

 

Lance desperately ordered his heart to stay still, but Keith's voice was right at his ear and his breath was tickling his neck. And that last sentence had all the wrong meanings. Blushing was an understatement. "Uh, right..."

 

"Also, you are not bending your knees enough." Keith's hands fell on Lance's hips, warm and strong and full of good intentions. But Lance felt as if Keith's fingers were digging into his skin a little more than necessary, or maybe he was imagining it thanks to his Teenage boy Horniness™️. He was imagining Keith curling his fingers on his hips, caught in the heat of the moment while they...

 

Keith pushed him down from the hips, making him bounce to show him how to bend his knees. "Here. You are flexible." Lance was all in another world: he imagined Keith's voice saying these exact words in a whole other context, with a whole other meaning. In a voice that was lower and broken. Damn, he had it bad.

His face and neck were on fire, and even hotter than that was the ear Keith was talking next to. "Got it now?" When Keith stepped away, Lance felt like collapsing. He wondered if it felt like this when the damsels were swooning in the old movies.

But he managed to stay on his feet, who knows how.

All those months spent pretending they were still rivals, barely interacting... All that time wasted. He could have started asking him for help way earlier.

 

"Thank you," he managed to breath out. "Now I got it."

Keith was looking at him in a weird way, thoughtful. He was about to say something, but Shiro clapped his hands to interrupt the training.

 

"Okay, guys. Are you warmed up enough? We are practicing hand-to-hand combat today, any style you prefer. I will be over there, checking some data with Allura, but don't think I'll not be watching you." That was the space equivalent of ‘do whatever you want, but do it silently'. Classic homeroom teacher tactics.

 

Keith grabbed Lance's sword and went to put both of them away. It was a nice gesture, but Lance couldn't help but wonder if Keith did that to get away from him.

 

 

By the time Keith was back Hunk was with them. "So sorry, guys. I want to try some serious punches today so I guess I'll use the punching bag. And Pidge is with Coran for some kind of emergency so you two will have to train together. Try not to hurt yourselves." At Lance's ears, that speech sounded like a blatant excuse to set them up. He wanted to disappear: it was so obvious that it was impossible not to notice.

But when he looked at Keith he saw him simply nodding at Hunk.

 

"No problem, man," he said, and then started suggesting some drills Hunk could try on the punching bag.

Lance could not believe how oblivious this boy was. It wasn't helping him at all.

Hunk left them alone and they walked to the place Lance called the Fighting Mat for lack of better ideas. And also because on that mat he had pretended with Hunk they were inside Tekken, so there's also that.

Keith took off his fingerless gloves, a gesture that Lance always found endearing. "We could practice the kicks Shiro showed us the other day. Keep it under the neck and over the waist. But I guess the legs count, too," Keith started brainstorming. "The rule is to avoid punches. Grabs are okay. Let's try to trip each other: who gives up loses." The grin at the end was insultingly charming.

 

That ignited the spark of the challenge inside Lance. He offered Keith a cocky grin. "Sure, babe, let's see how fast I can pin you down."

Keith rolled his eyes, but Lance could swear he saw a little blush on his cheeks. He was starting to get under his skin, finally!

 

They started sparring carefully, the same ol'drill with intense staring to find your opponent's weakness.

They circled each other, dodging kicks here and there.

"Why me?" Keith asked out of the blue.

 

"Why you what? Are you complaining about life? Is your emo phase back in full force?" Lance teased.

 

Keith blocked one of Lance's kicks and ignored him completely. "The prank. Why did you do it to me and not to Hunk?" His eyes had a serious light in them, which made Lance hope he would believe him if he told him the truth now.

 

"Because Hunk is my best friend," he said, moving away from Keith's leg.

 

"So?"

 

"So I don't like him that way." Lance felt embarrassed saying it out loud and his brief distraction was enough for Keith to send him on the ground with a kick in his ankles.

 

"Lance, I already told you it was funny. Congrats. I asked you what did I do to deserve to be pranked." Keith said it like that, but it didn't sound like it had really been fun.

 

"What? No, it's not like that," he answered, still laying on the ground. Keith offered him a hand and that was a perfect opportunity. Lance grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down, to roll on top of him. He blocked Keith's wrists against the mat: the shocked and betrayed look on Keith's face was priceless.

But still. "I do like you. It wasn't a prank. I know I've been an asshole until today, but... I can't stay close to you because then it gets too obvious, and I wasn't ready for you to know. But now I am," he took one of Keith's hands and placed it against his heart. It was beating like crazy. "See? Can you feel it?"

 

Keith had a look on his face that Lance couldn't place until he got pretty pissed off and that was unmistakable. Keith yanked his hand away and pushed Lance off of him. "It's not funny anymore."

With that he stormed out of the room, leaving Lance sitting in shock on the mat.

 

Hunk came to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I guess you are not as good at flirting as you thought."

 

Lance groaned, laying on the ground and covering his face with his hands. It would be a long day.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Keith? Come on, buddy, open up."

 

"No, go away."

That was the third time Lance was knocking at Keith's door. The goal was to make him open that said door and he was trying everything. It wasn't working very well.

 

"I'm sorry tricked you and pinned you down like that, I really am." The silence he was met with was really hard to bear. "I have something for you. Hunk helped me make it. It's ice cream. And I have some weird alien flavoring and something that looks like sprinkles, too."

 

This time the silence lasted only a bunch of seconds. "Ice cream?"

 

That little question made Lance lighten up immediately. "Ice cream! And from the looks of it, it must be delicious."

 

The door finally opened. "You can give me the ice cream and leave," Keith said, his hand raised to take his treat. He was wearing sweatpants and a tank top, most likely his brooding outfit.

 

Lance hid the bowl behind his back. "Nuh-uh, it's a full package. It's me, ice cream and spoon altogether. Let me in and you can have it. Deal?"

 

Keith sighed, but the idea of eating something sweet must have been too tempting to pass. Maybe even Keith was human after all. "Deal, come in."

Lance waited to be inside and with the door shut behind him before doing a little happy dance. "I want my ice cream, you fool," Keith snorted.

 

"Of course," Lance recomposed himself and offered the dessert with a bow. "Here it is as your request, milord."

Keith snatched the bowl from his hands and went to sit on the bed, already digging the spoon in.

 

"Mmh, it's delicious. Compliments to Hunk."

 

"Hey! I helped, too!"

 

"Sure. What did you say about sprinkles?" the red paladin asked, licking his lips.

 

"Alien sprinkles. You want some?"

And of course, Keith nodded. Lance had a small smirk on his face when he let the candy fall on Keith's ice cream. "I didn't think you would have a sweet tooth."

 

"What do you mean?" Keith mumbled with a frown, between spoonfuls.

 

"Like... You seem so tough and reserved and here you are, loving it."

 

"I'm not."

 

"Oh no, you are definitely enjoying that, you can't fool me." Lance laughed.

 

"No, I'm not... reserved," he said, looking down at his dessert. "I'm just, I don't know. Socially awkward, maybe?"

 

Lance took a moment to process the idea. It made him smile a lot. "That's super cute," he chuckled. "I will bring you sweets and good conversations more often."

 

"Shut up," Keith was definitely blushing a little. "You are so annoying. Even at the Garrison, you were always going around making me feel uncomfortable."

 

"I thought you said you didn't know who I was at the Garrison."

Apparently, that was something Keith wasn't supposed to say because he stopped eating to look up.

 

"I... I lied. I did remember you. You were kind of unforgettable." Keith offered him an apologetic smile. "Do you want some? We can share."

 

Lance was a little hurt, but it wasn't something that mattered now and he couldn't say no to ice cream and Keith. He sat down next to him on the bed, close enough that their shoulders were touching. "Give me that." He claimed the spoon and filled it with ice cream and a lot of sprinkles. It was really good.

"How was I unforgettable, Keith?" he asked, with a wink.

 

It made Keith laugh. "You were always so... open, it was fun to watch. Even when I was all caught up with finding Shiro, looking at you made me smile." His eyes were soft while he said that.

 

Woah. That was a really big confession. Lance's heart was beating fast and he couldn't physically stop a groan. He leaned with his head on Keith's shoulder, who didn't complain at all.

"I was looking at you, too," he said, taking another spoon of ice cream. "But I was afraid that I would push you away if I approached you, so I didn't try anymore after a while," he passed the bowl to Keith. "And then you disappeared. Hunk used to say that I was grieving in the first months. I didn't really know why, though."

 

There was a moment of silence, but not a tense or uncomfortable one.

"Do you hate me?" The question felt like it was out of the blue from Keith's side.

 

"Of course not. Why should I?"

 

"I never tried to speak to you. I left without a word. I just didn't think you cared. And you were always picking fights with me when we first got here, so I thought you must still hate me. And then the prank... It kind of confirmed my thoughts."

 

"Keith, no," he whined, hiding his face in the crook of Keith's neck. "I was kind of mad for you leaving and not knowing who I was, but I never hated you. You are amazing, I... I love you."

 

"I love you, too." That didn't sound like they just confessed to each other, but it actually was exactly like that, wasn't it?

Lance didn't even have the time to freak out that the door slammed open.

 

"Guys!" Hunk looked so panicked it was actually scary. "Don't eat the sprinkles! Those are not sprinkles. It's a drug for interrogations, it's super bad." And then he saw the bowl, completely covered in that same drug. "Oh no. I'll call Shiro, you have to get that out of your system, now!"

 

And with those amazing news, their conversation was abandoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had to spend the rest of the afternoon throwing up. Shiro and Allura made them drink some disgusting medicine to get rid of the venom. It was not pretty, but always better than dying.

The next time he saw Keith it was in the common room that night. They couldn't even look at each other.

They had both skipped dinner and weren't in the mood to talk to anyone.

It was Allura who came to speak to them. "So. You ate a large quantity of Grevix. I'm glad you are both alive. It's a kind of ancient drug that poisons the blood of the victim. It was commonly used for trials: first, it forces you to tell the truth and then if you are found guilty... I'll let you imagine."

 

Lance knew she was trying to cheer them up with the story of how lucky they were, but right now it was just making him feel sick to the stomach. Again.

He had a feeling that something big happened. Of course, it did, especially if what Allura said about the drug forcing you to tell the truth was accurate. If he hadn't imagined things under the effect of the drug, Keith said he loved him back.

How was he supposed to know if it was true? He didn't feel brave at all: going on the other side of the couch to ask Keith directly was kind of too much.

And the fact that they were both peering at one another from afar added to that. Keith seemed as confused as him on the situation.

They were going to keep that on all night long if Pidge hadn't cleared their throat. "Ladies and gentlemen," they began, even if in the room there was no lady to be seen after Allura had left. And Pidge didn't consider themself as one at the time. "Since we are all bored, I shall offer some entertainment. I happen to have a bottle."

 

Lance groaned. "Are you kidding me?"

 

Pidge continued their explanation, ignoring him. "But I think the regular earthen Spin the Bottle is too overrated." They sat in the middle of the room. "So let's make it a combination with truth or dare."

 

Hunk was the only one excited and ready to play. For him, it must have been a boring afternoon without his buddy. Lance could even shed a tear for that. "Come on, Lance! It will be fun! Keith, you too!" Hunk dragged the red and blue paladins to sit on the ground with Pidge and sat right between them.

Keith didn't look very energetic, but he didn't seem annoyed either.

 

"If this is boring I swear I'm going to bed," Lance mumbled, sitting with his legs crossed.

 

"Trust me, it won't." Pidge spun the bottle and the game started.

 

They were right. Soon it all became a playground for the four of them, with people twerking on a dare, laughing out loud at extremely embarrassing memories, cartwheeling on the table and stupid stuff they made up on the spot.

Like when Keith ended up with tiny pigtails. Or when Pidge was made to wear one of Allura's dresses. And then Hunk had to make a tower of mice and make them stay in position on his head.

It was a mess. They all ended up winded from laughing too much and it was nice to have fun with friends.

It got to the point where they had to catch their breath for a moment and Lance found himself looking fondly at Keith. He was half laying with his back against the wall and was chatting with Hunk. The small lazy smile on his face was too soft for Lance's poor heart.

 

"Lance. Your turn," Pidge said. They had ditched the bottle about an hour ago.

He answered with a mumbled noise. "Truth or dare? If you say dare, lick the dustiest corner of the room. Like, real good." Pidge's smirk was devilish.

 

Lance almost gagged at the mental image. "No way I'm doing that. Truth."

 

"What were you and Keith doing in his room this afternoon?" They wiggled their eyebrows and Hunk laughed. Oh, he had just fallen for the trick. And now he couldn't take it back.

 

He glanced briefly at Keith - who was listening intently - and tried to avoid blushing. "We... We were bonding," he muttered.

 

"So that is a bonding moment you remember, uh?" That was Keith. Smirking sexily and all. Fuck you, Keith. Like really, fuck you. 

 

"Shut up, this one was better."

 

"Wait. So you do remember the first bonding moment!" Hunk, that wasn't the time to call out on his bullshit! A little help here!

 

"Keith, I dare you to cradle him in your arms. Let's revive the first bonding moment." Pidge was a monster. Totally evil.

 

"Oh, man, I totally want to see this," Hunk changed position to better enjoy the show.

 

Keith complied and, in spite of Lance's attempted struggling, he managed to pick him up bridal style. Lance had the only choice to cover his face with both hands, going on fire while Keith walked him around the room with their friends' laughter as background music.

 

"That was just mean," Lance whispered when he was put back down. He had tried not to notice how having Keith's arms around him made him feel.

 

"Why? How can it be mean? We just made sure you remembered correctly," Pidge was smirking and snapping photos with Rover.

 

Now Keith was sitting in front of him, closer than earlier. He was looking right at him and Lance was trying his best not to stare back, but every time he found himself peeking anyway. And Keith was always there looking at him very intently.

 

"What?" he tried to ask, sounding weak and small.

 

"Truth or dare?" Keith's voice on the other side was strong and confident and made him worry that something bad was about to go down.

 

"If you are thinking of something gross as a dare, then I choose truth."

 

"Do you like me?"

 

A question like that was the same as dropping a bomb and got everyone unprepared. The room had gone silent and Pidge had started filming now.

This was exactly what he had worried about. And it was about to go down really badly. "What?" He at least tried to make him change the question.

 

"Do you like me? Not as a friend or teammate. Do you like-like me?" Keith was literally cornering him in front of their friends. But Lance himself had decided it would be today or nothing. So it was gonna be right now. Even if it was gonna be in the most embarrassing setting.

 

"Yes," he said, looking at Keith. "I like you."

 

"You can not lie in truth or dare." Keith's voice was lower now and he looked mad, offended even.

 

"I am not!"

 

"How can I know? I know you, you keep mocking me for everything. And today it's April Fools'. This morning you pranked me and you immediately admitted it."

 

"What? No, I... I'm not lying! I didn't even remember about this stupid day!"

 

"I don't believe you!"

 

"How am I supposed to convince you?!"

 

"Lance," Hunk called, with a tone that was surprisingly calm and collected. "I dare you to kiss Keith."

 

"I don't think this is the right-" he interrupted himself before he could end the sentence. That was it. That might be a stupid idea, but it was the only way to make Keith understand.

He just had to kiss him, something he had died to do for such a long time.

He grabbed Keith by the wrists and pulled him into a rushed kiss. It ended up into just a sloppy lips to lips contact, but it lasted enough to make his heart go insane.

Lance let go first and looked at Keith for a reaction, his face flushed in embarrassment.

 

At first, Keith looked surprised, but then he shut off completely.

"You only did that on a dare," he said, before standing up and storming out of the room.

 

Lance didn't hesitate to get up and run after him. "Keith! Keith wait!"

He ran in the hallways and when he finally managed to catch up they were in some area of the castle he had never seen before.

In front of them there was a window and beyond that the infinite space.

 

"Keith, please. Listen to me."

 

Keith had stopped, but he kept his back turned. "No. You always make stuff up. I'm not giving you another chance to make fun of me." His fists were clenched at his sides and Lance hesitated before wrapping a hand around one.

 

"How do I have to tell you I'm not? I'm serious, Keith. I was under the effect of the drug earlier and I told you, didn't I?"

 

"You ate it after me and not as much. It might not have worked on you as it did on me."

 

"Even if it didn't I was completely serious! You have to trust me, I didn't even remember this stupid day. It wasn't a prank, I mean every single word I wrote in that letter."

 

"What a coincidence you gave it to me on this day..."

 

Lance groaned in frustration and pulled Keith to turn to look at him. The red paladin was looking down, bangs covering part of his face.

 

"Would you believe me if it wasn't for this useless holiday?"

 

"Maybe. But this is too coincidental. I can't believe you. I don't want to," Keith said, looking away and pulling his hand out of Lance's.

 

"Attention, crew," Pidge's voice came out of the castle speakers as Keith was about to leave. "It's my pleasure to inform you that is now one minute past midnight. This new day is April the 2nd. Thank you for your attention and go back to your occupations. Sleep or whatever."

 

They froze for a moment, surprised by that crazy announcement. But Lance was sure Pidge was watching them from the security cameras and gave him a hand.

It had to work now.

"What about today?" he asked softly, stepping closer to Keith. The red paladin looked confused but didn't move. "Would you believe me, now? Because Keith, baby," Lance took his hand again. "I really like you. As in like-like you." He offered Keith a crooked smile, suddenly feeling embarrassed and timid. "What do you say? Do I have a chance?"

 

Keith averted his eyes to look down but didn't move his hand away. Lance considered that already as a win. "Was... Was the letter... Was it all real?" Answering with another question, what a way to make Lance slowly stress out more and more.

 

"Yes, I have been trying to tell you all day! It's not a joke when I say I think about you in that way. I think you are gorgeous and strong and so brave. And you are such a hot mess: you get yourself in danger and always get mad when I pick on you. But I could never consider any part of you as a flaw. You are just amazing, I love you."

 

What happened next Lance could have never guessed.

He was truly surprised when Keith grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. His head was working too fast for him to put all of the pieces together. The most reasonable answer was to squeeze Keith's hand a little and move one inch away from his lips to ask him directly. Better than getting it all wrong.

"Wait, Keith, I don't understand. Is this a good thing or it's like the consolation prize?"

 

He could clearly see Keith rolling his eyes. "It's jackpot, okay? Now shut up and get back to it."

An answer like that was so completely unbelievable that Lance laughed a little before he complied. Keith hadn't stopped pulling at his shirt. The guy was eager.

Finally, they were kissing for real. Standing in the middle of the hallway, right in front of the beautiful scenery of space. It felt like a scene from a movie.

His hands found Keith's face and the kiss deepened to become something bone-melting. It was that great. Keith's lips moving against his own seemed like a perfect match, just a little rougher.

When they parted it felt awkward for a moment: they had never been so intimate before. But it was only that. A moment.

Lance was so incredibly happy he couldn't stop smiling. He pulled Keith in a hug tight enough that the red paladin had to hide his face in the crook of Lance's neck. It felt so right. The tiny height difference between them made the hug even more comfortable.

The silence was good and relaxing for him, but apparently not for Keith. He was squirming a little, even if he wasn't moving away.

"What's up?" He tried to help him if he had something to take off his chest.

 

"I had a crush on you since the Garrison."

 

"You... What?" Lance couldn't believe his own ears. He tried to create some space between them to look at Keith but he didn't let him move, hugging his middle.

The cool and untouchable Keith Kogane had a crush on him? And was embarrassed admitting it? That was too cute to be real.

 

"Yes. You heard me," Keith snorted. Lance imagined he was blushing since he felt his arms hold tighter around his waist. "When we found Shiro you looked like you hated me, so... I've faked it since then. At first, when I read your letter I thought I was dreaming. I was kind of happy."

 

"Kind of?" Lance teased.

 

"Okay, a lot. But then when I was about to come to talk to you I saw the date and I felt so stupid. I hoped for it too much. And you know... I couldn't believe you because I didn't want to get hurt."

 

The silence was heavy from that confession. They were the same, both afraid of getting rejected, afraid of the other hating them. Lance wanted to kiss him again. He moved back enough to look at Keith in the eyes.

"I waited this long to tell you for the same reason." He leaned in to kiss him softly, taking all the time to get used to the feeling.

 

Keith was smiling a lot and looking at him with dreamy eyes when that kiss ended. "So, uhm... I like you." How had he never noticed how cute Keith was? He had always seen him as the cool, hot one, but he had totally missed on all these adorable reactions. Hopefully, now he had all the time to get to know each and every one of them.

 

"Am I your boyfriend now?"

 

The blush on Keith's face was just too sweet. He tried to look away and put a strand of hair behind his ear, but eventually, he met Lance's eyes again. "If you want to."

 

"Are you kidding me? Of course, I do. And for my first act as your boyfriend, I demand we go cuddling in my room. Sounds good?" His smile was a little crooked as he entangled their fingers together.

 

Keith tightened the grip on his hand. "Great."

 

Waking up the next morning spooning in the same bed filled Lance's heart of pure happiness. Keith was so pretty when he was asleep. He started kissing his neck and eventually, he managed to wake him up.

They spent the entire morning cuddling in bed, making out and just staring at each other.

 

They were just a couple of fools.

**Author's Note:**

> Right after I finished writing this little thing I immediately had the urge to take it further.  
> It was odd I wrote something not even orange...  
> I can’t resist the urge, so wait for a smutty part two ;)


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